Celtic fall guy can bounce back from sore end to season with help from Parkhead 'unsung hero'

Schmeichel was badly at fault for Aberdeen's equaliser in last month's Scottish Cup final, palming a Shayden Morris cross into his own net in the last ten minutes of the Hampden showdown. The Dons went on to lift the trophy on penalties following the 1-1 draw and deny Celtic a treble.

Schmeichel joined Celtic from Anderlecht last summer and largely impressed under manager Brendan Rodgers, who he worked with before at Leicester City. The 38-year-old has another year left on his contract and will battle it out with Viljami Sinisalo for the gloves, the Finn having impressed during a five-week spell when Schmeichel was sidelined by a shoulder issue.

And former English Premier League goalkeeper Shay Given, who worked with Schmeichel during their time together at Manchester City, believes the stopper has all the mental strength to come back stronger next season.

"I think that's one of the reasons he was signed, probably because of the mentality as much as anything," said Given, who started his professional career at Celtic before playing for Blackburn and Newcastle United. "He'll be disappointed with the final and the goal because it's a mistake, there's no point trying to dress it up any other way. He knows himself he probably should have done better with it. It's a disappointing end to a brilliant season, because he's still won the double. I suppose the icing on the cake would have been to get their hands on the treble but it wasn't to be.

"The journey his whole career has been on, he's had knock-backs as a kid and had to go right down to Notts County and play. He built his way back up and won the Premier League with Leicester. There's so much more positives than negatives. When you're a goalkeeper, you are either brilliant or rubbish - that's probably the mentality of some people. We've all been there before. You have to have a strong mentality and mindset to bounce back from that. Brendan Rodgers knows him inside out and knows how to get the best out of him, get him back to peak fitness after a break in the summer, which he deserves.

"Sometimes it's a mental break as much as anything that the players need. I'm sure Kasper will go away and switch off mentally as much as anything and come back refreshed. He'll have that desire to play and prove that he's a top keeper. Even at his age, I don't think that will leave him."

Healthy competition

Given believes that Schmeichel will be spurred on further by the emergence of Sinisalo, who proved during his stint with the gloves that he is not overawed by playing for Celtic.

"I don't care what age you are, I think it pushes you all the time," Given continued. "You always need that competition. I had Steve Harper at Newcastle, Shaka Hislop and Pavel Srinicek. You were always getting pushed by someone and I think that's really important because it keeps you on your toes, keeps you training every day and at your best.

"I remember Packie Bonner saying to me when I made my debut with Ireland, 'it's okay getting there, staying there is the problem, there's always someone wanting to take your jersey'. And that was when I was 19! That doesn't change whatever age you are. Competition is healthy and that's something you should thrive on, not worry about.

"What I would say about their mindsets to come to Celtic, it's such a big club and the expectation levels are really high on the goalkeeper. Especially with the Old Firm, I think the mindset of the goalkeeper has to be really strong because you know going over there is going to be spicy with the fans, and even here if you make a mistake, the crowd will probably let you know. It's a position that's high-profile and it's a position where you need to have rhino skin and a strong mentality.”

Help from unsung hero

Schmeichel will get guidance from an exceptionally experienced Celtic coach in Stevie Woods, who has been at the club for many years and knows how to deal with the highs and lows of being in the Dane's position.

"He'll have seen it all, Woodsy," said Given. "He'll do brilliant sessions but sometimes it's the wee talks as a goalkeeping coach. If you do make a mistake, how do you bounce back? Just going for a walk with a coach like Woodsy and having a chat about things is as good as diving about and making loads of saves.

"It's such a specialised position. I think someone of that calibre overseeing the whole goalkeeping department is great for the club as well. I'm sure him and Kasper will have a chat, even in the close season, so he bounces back for pre-season.

"These guys are in the background and they probably don't get the credit they deserve sometimes. The manager is front and foremost but there's a team behind him as well. They deserve great credit, the unsung heroes behind the scenes. Again, his job will be to speak to Kasper and get the best out of him, but also to say to Sinisalo, 'you've got an opportunity to play this season, you've got to push yourself to the max and compete with Kasper'. it's all about that voice and messaging."